The village of South Mardian always observes the winter solstice with an ancient, mystical sword dance, complete with costumed performers. But for one of them, the excitement proves too heady, and his decapitation turns the fertility rite into a pageant of death. Now Inspector Roderick Alleyn must penetrate not only the mysteries of folklore but the secrets and sins of an eccentric group that includes a surly blacksmith, a domineering dowager, and a not-so-simple village idiot.

From her first book in 1934 to her final volume just before her death in 1982, Ngaio Marsh’s work has remained legendary and is often compared to that of Agatha Christie, Margery Allingham, and Dorothy L. Sayers. So sit back, draw the curtains, lock the doors, and put yourself in the hands of the Grande Dame of detective novels.

Listener Opinions

" All of the Roderick Alleyn series by Marsh are terrific. The characters and relationships are so vivid and the story keeps you guessing to the end. "

Diane | 12/16/2013

" A wonderful insight into Teutonic ritual dancing. "

Suzanne | 12/11/2013

" A robust description of the odd charcters living in an remote English village, and a well-plotted mystery solved by the very likeable Inspector Alleyn. "

Barbara | 10/2/2012

" Not as good as Final Curtain, but nothing is. Little too creepy and the folklore was too hard to track. "

Conrad | 9/25/2012

" Cute, but not really my taste. "

Beverley | 8/29/2012

" I love the relationship between the protagonist: Alleyn, and his side-kick: brer Fox. Unique in detective fiction, as far as I can tell. "

Anne | 3/22/2012

" I've gotten quite good at picking up on the little tiny clues Marsh leaves along the way--much harder, it turns out, in the audiobook. But, I enjoyed it all the same. These books are so satisfying in their fullness and lengthiness. "

Courtney | 9/22/2010

" As a huge Agatha Christie fan, I was urged to also read Marsh's books. I truly enjoy them, and find her to be as enjoyable as Dame Aggie herself. "

Kellyann | 1/21/2010

" Okay; interesting tidbits about British folklore. "

Lesley | 3/22/2009

" Another good book in the series "

kami | 11/18/2008

" Enjoyable read. Another book from the shelves that's seen better days though and needs to unfortunately now be recycled. "

Jessie | 6/13/2007

" Took a while for me to get into it, but once I did, it was a typical Marsh read--fun and well written. "

Other Titles by Ngaio Marsh:

About the Author

Ngaio Marsh (1895–1982), born in New Zealand, wrote over thirty detective novels. Many of her stories had theatrical settings, as her real passion was for the theater. She was both an actress and a producer and almost single-handedly revived the New Zealand public’s interest in live theater. In 1966 she was made Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire.

About the Narrator

Wanda McCaddon (a.k.a. Nadia May or Donada Peters) has narrated well over six hundred titles for major audiobook publishers, has earned numerous Earphones Awards, and was named a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine.

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